31 August 2007
Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Cast: Penélope Cruz, Carmen Maura, Lola Dueñas, Blanca Portillo, Yohana Cobo
Rating: 15
Length: 121 minutes
Country: Spain

Three generations of women survive the east wind, fire, insanity, superstition and even death by means of goodness, lies and boundless vitality.

They are Raimunda (Pénelope Cruz), who is married to an unemployed labourer and has a teenage daughter (Yohana Cobo); Sole (Lola Dueñas), her sister, who makes a living as a hairdresser; and the mother of both (Carmen Maura), who died in a fire along with her husband. This character appears first to her sister (Chus Lampreave) and then to Sole, although the people with whom she has some unresolved matters are Raimunda and her neighbour in the village, Agustina (Blanca Portillo).

Pedro Almodóvar gets back in touch with his feminine side in Volver, the Spanish helmer's most femme fable since 1999's All About My Mother. One of that film's stars, Penélope Cruz, here takes centre stage as a domestic drudge caught up in family strife - including the return of her supposedly dead mother (Almodóvar veteran Carmen Maura). Despite dwelling on death, there's plenty of life in this mix of tears and laughter.

See also

Pedro Almodóvar official web site: If you are an Almodóvar fan, this site is for you. Enjoy.